Car-starter



(No Model.) A. B. H PIELD,

OAR STARTER.

No. 466,912. Patented Jan. 12, 1892.

-UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

-ALBERT B. SOHOFIELD, OF BROOKLYN, NElV YORK.

CAR-STARTER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 466,912, dated January 12, 1892.

Application filed May 11, 1891. Serial No. 392,264. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALBERT B. SCHOFIELD, of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Oar-Starters, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in car-starters in which a gripping device at the end of a lever is adapted to engage the rim of a wheel, so that a leverage may be exerted in a direction to roll the wheel.

It is desirable that the device he of such a character that it may be conveniently manipulated by the workmen, skilled and unskilled, in freight-yards and elsewhere; that it shall not indent the .face of the wheel where it rolls upon the rail, so as to produce a flattening, and that it shall be capable of being dropped into position for gaining a new hold without delay and without liability of displacement.

The object of my present invention is to provide a starter which shall be adapted to fulfill the above-named desirable ends.

A practical embodiment of my invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an edge view of the starter. Fig. 2 is a side view of the same; and Fig. 3 is a partial longitudinal section showing the device in operative position in connection with a car-wheel.

A represents a bar, preferably a steel bar, terminating at one end in a handle a and at its opposite end in a jaw a. The jaw a is conveniently formed by turning over the end of the bar, so as to present a fiat face a toward the handle end. The face of the jaw a is intended to engage the inner side of the rim 1) of a car-wheel B. A jaw O is provided with an extended curved face 0, located opposite the flat face a of the jaw a, the extremities of the curved face cbeing extended beyond the extremities of the jaw a, so as to admit of the free travel of the jaw 0 along the face of the wheel under the influence of gravity, when the handle or bar A is lowered, and at the same time form a tight grip between the extremity of the jaw C and the extremity of the jaw a, when there is an upward lift exerted at the outer end of the lever A.

The curved-faced jaw O is provided with a suitable socket 0', adapted to receive the lever A, and I prefer to make the said jaw adjustable on the lever by any well-known or suitable means-such, for example, as those shown, in which the lever A is provided with a series of perforations a and the jaw C with a corresponding perforation 0 adapted to receive a pin D. I do not, however, consider the adjustable feature necessary to the practical operation of the bar, as freightcar wheels are now made for the most part to a standard, and I have provided other means for adapting the device to any slight dilferences in width.

From the shank of the jaw G a hook E projects laterally, the point e of the hook being intended to hook over the edge of the rim of the wheel opposite that with which the aws engage. Vthen applied, as shown in Fig.3 of the drawings, it hooks over the flange b of the wheel. 7

In order that the device may be applied readily and the jaw a be prevented from slipping toward the edge of the rim upon wheels, where the inner side of the rim is slightly beveled and where the wheel is smeared with grease I give the inner face e of the hookan outward slant, which admits of first placing the jaw a in position and then swinging the bar A into the plane of the wheel, the outer edge of the flange b passing along theinclined face 6 until the bar is in position to lift. When the jaws are, applied to the rim of the wheel at its edge, as shown, any indentation which may be made will be outside of the portion of the face of the wheel which bears normally upon the track, and hence will do no harm. The extended face of the jaw, however, will prevent any serious indentation being made in the bearing-face of the wheel under ordinary circumstances.

I have shown the jaw a formed integral with the bar A, and the jaw C and its hook extension formed integral. While these are the preferred forms of structure it 154 obvious that they might be formed separate and fixed in position in an y Well-known and approved manner, and that other slight changes might be resorted to in the form and arrangement beyond the extremities of the first-named jaw, the said bearing-face being adapted to the bearing-face of the Wheel, and a hook projectof the several parts without departing from I ing laterally from the bar and adapted to en- 5 the spirit and scope of my invention.

hat I claim is The car-mover comprising a bar having a jaw at its end adapted to engage the inner side of the rim of a car-Wheel, a second jaw 10 secured to the bar and having an extended bearing-face the extremities of which extend gage the edge of the rim of the car-Wheel opposite that engaged by the jaws, substantially as set forth.

ALBERT B. SCHOFIELD.

Witnesses:

FREDK. HAYNES, FRED G. FISCHER. 

